Ban Putin’s pals to help the brave women of Iran

IN RECENT days across Iran, forces loyal to extreme hardline leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei have attacked women protesters with assault rifles, shotguns and handguns.

- Liam Fox

 And according to human rights groups, some have even been shot running away.

Their crime? Daring to want legal rights and an end to being abused as second-class citizens, where they cannot even travel without a husband or guardian giving permission.

Mahsa Amini, 22, was arrested in Iran by their so-called “morality police”, officers who enforce the country’s strict hijab rules.

Citing a supposed fault with Mahsa’s headscarf, they took her into custody for “re-education”.

It was here she fell into a coma and later died, with reports later emerging that Mahsa was beaten with batons and suffered a brain injury while in detention.

Her death has rightfully sparked outrage among the people of Iran and more widely in the international community.

Women have been urged to publicly remove their veils in an act of defiance against the regime and the transgressions of the morality police who have enforced the strict dress code since it was established in 1979 following the Islamic Revolution.

The violent and abhorrent response to the protests and Mahsa’s death are indicative of an Iranian regime that has absolutely no regard for the rights of its people.

Back in August, we were also reminded through the attempted murder of Salman Rushdie that the malign tentacles of Iran’s influence have a global reach.